One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Scott Dekraai, Accused OC Salon Shooter, Pleads Not Guilty
Scott Dekraai. Screenshot/KTTV FOX 11.
Scott Dekraai, the 42-year-old Orange County man who's accused of shooting up a Seal Beach salon last October and killing eight people, plead not guilty today on eight counts of murder. City News Service reports that a grand jury indicted Dekraai yesterday, which prosecutors sought in order to expedite the trial. A pretrial hearing has been set for January 27.
According to the OC Register, more that two dozen of the shooting victims' family members were in the courtroom today. Some wore buttons emblazoned with their loved one's picture.
OC District Attorney Tony Rackauckas told the Register that he hopes to get the trial underway as soon as possible.
"What we want to do here is get this case to trial as soon as we can, get it over with for the victims' families," he said.
He is expected to seek the death penalty.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
